Dear friends from the national organizations,

The European Coordination JECI-MIEC has the great pleasure to invite your organization to nominate candidates for the JECI-MIEC Study Session «‘Digital Natives’ advocating for Human Rights», which will be taking place in the European Youth Centre Budapest, Hungary from 22nd February to the 1st March 2015 (including arrival and departure day).

The Study Session is designed for members of the organizations. This means that participants in the meeting should be actively involved in projects at national / local level or to be members of the national / local board of the organization. Participants should have a good knowledge about their National Organization, be motivated towards the given subject and be willing / able to function as multipliers back in their organizations.

The Study Session is targeted to both: Secondary and University Students.

What is our Study Session about?

Our organization’s “Orientation Guidelines 2012-2016” ratified at the European Congress 2012 foresee the issues “Media and Technology” as well as “Dialogue and Human Dignity” to be of great importance to our member organizations. As a follow-up of these issues, the European Committee voted in favor of having a study session in 2015 focusing on the interrelatedness between media / technology and Human Rights as well as human rights education and developing further potential from this interrelatedness. The thematic area of media and technology was considered relevant to young people in general and students in particular, while the area of Human Rights concerns us not only as responsible European citizens, but also as members of an organization sharing an identity as Catholic believers.

Our organization’s experience with the topic of Human Rights can be illustrated as follows: In 2004 the study session “Human dignity in global society” dealt with Human Rights and Human Rights education in general. In 2005 “Human Rights education” concentrated on Human Rights Education promoting it within the approach of Integral Education (holistic and lifelong learning) and empowering students to make a step forward in developing concrete actions in their local and regional reality. In 2006 “Religion contributing to Human Rights Education” focused on developing new methods introducing religion and faith as important and influential actors in the society as well as contributing to the protection and promotion of Human Rights and fostering inter-religious dialogue. In 2007 “Empowering Young People through Human Rights Education” focused on equipping young people to take up their responsibilities in relation to the promotion and protection of Human Rights through a Human Rights’ educational approach. In 2009 “Looking at Immigration in Europe through a Human Rights Perspective” rose awareness and understanding of the responsibilities that citizens have in relation to Human Rights exemplified with one particular problem at stake in Europe. In 2012 “Creating Empowered Students in Human Rights through Integral Education” faced the interrelatedness between Human Rights Education and Integral Education as a holistic formation of the person in the field of intercultural dialogue and learning.

JECI-MIEC already provided formation in the thematic areas of Human Rights and the methodologies of Human Rights Education as well as Integral Education through previous study sessions. That is why we believe it is now the time to apply this knowledge by taking up an important factor of the everyday life and a field of expertise of young people. In regards to media Human Rights can on the one hand be at stake in various ways, but on the other hand media bear a lot of potential to overcome Human Rights infringements and to provide Human Rights Education.

In order to apply for this activity, you have to fill-in the application form (you can find it attached here) and sent it by email (office@jeci-miec.eu) from the national office of your organization (official email address).

The deadline for receiving the applications is the 7th December 2014.

After receiving the applications we will inform your movement of the participants confirmed and we will send them the “Participants’ Info-Pack”.

We kindly ask you to disseminate this call among your membership!

With best regards on behalf of the preparatory and the European team

Simon Fischer

European Coordinator

Study Session 2015-Application-Form

Study Session – Participants Call